Obsession
by Demonic Irken
Summary: Squidward becomes obsessed with a fanfiction story, and his desire to read it threatens to take a toll on his sanity and general well-being.
1. Chapter 1

Squidward lay in his bed in his tiki home, reading a fan-fiction story on his computer. His window was open, letting in the cool night air breeze, smelling like fall and reminding him of Halloween. All was quiet in the neighborhood except for the click of a mouse as the cephalopod clicked 'Next Chapter.'

The particular story that Squidward was reading had him captivated. It was a long-fic sitting at a total of 600 thousand words with 6,000 word chapters each, and it had everything that the octopus had hoped for. It had plenty of action, mystery, and drama, as well as two characters with plenty of chemistry that he hoped would become a couple by the story's conclusion.

He glanced at the clock by his bed. It was just past 1 AM, and even though Squidward knew that he had to work at the Krusty Krab in a few hours, he could not make himself close the laptop and go to sleep, no matter how much he wanted to.

He was so excited when he had discovered this story when he was browsing the internet for his favorite show, HOUSE FANCY. There weren't that many stories about this particular fandom, so he practically jumped for joy when he found the one perfectly suited to his tastes and preferences.

Squidward had been reading it for a while, around three hours if he had to estimate, and he didn't regret a single second of it. It was a story beyond his wildest dreams, and he never wanted it to end. He was leaving in-depth reviews on every chapter about what he liked and sometimes disliked about each segment so far, hoping and almost praying that whoever wrote it would continue to do so.

He had just gotten enthralled and so absorbed by the current arc that was unfolding when his shell phone rang beside him. Sighing and setting aside his laptop, he answered the phone as he wondered who in their right mind could possibly be calling him at this hour of the night.

"Hello?" He answered dully, his mind still focused on the story he had been reading.

"Ahoy, Mr. Squidward!" The voice of Eugene Krabs sounded loudly in his ear. "I'm gonna need ya to come in a little early today!".

Squidward sighed, already hating where this was going. "Alright, Mr. Krabs, what time do I need to be there?"

The crab hummed thoughtfully on the other end. "I think you should come in around three or four this morning. We're going to have a busy day, and I need to make as much money as possible before closing time!"

The octopus glanced at his clock again, feeling sad as he realized that he would need to temporarily cease reading this wonderful fic to get some sleep. Sadly agreeing to his boss's demands as though he even had a choice in the matter, he hung up the phone and closed his laptop, already wishing that he could go back to reading it.

He slept fitfully over the next remaining hours of the night, tossing and turning and only managing to get in an hour or two of sleep.

Once his alarm went off, he rose from his bed, somehow feeling even worse than before. He sighed and hopped into the shower, quickly scrubbing up and taking less than five minutes total as he hurried to get to his laptop again. He just knew that as soon as he began reading, his mood would probably be lifted just a little bit.

After his shower, he made himself a quick breakfast of buttered toast along with a small bowl of scrambled eggs with salt and pepper added to them to make them taste as good as possible.

Once that was done, he grabbed his new phone he had purchased the day before on Krab's demands and also made sure to grab his hat as he headed out the door.

He opened the story on his iShell, reading while he walked to work. He was so focused on the story that he hardly even heard Spongebob blabbering beside him. He didn't say a single word the whole way there, continuing to read as he walked through the double doors of the restaurant, clocked in, and took his place at his post to start his shift.

"No phones during your shift, Mr. Squidward!" Krabs barked at him while entering his office.

The cephalopod reluctantly did as he was told, putting his phone into his shirt pocket and gloomily staring ahead towards the bustling potential customers on their way to their own jobs. He counted the money in the cash register to give himself something to do and to take his mind off of the story he had been obsessing over since yesterday evening.

A customer walked in just as he finished counting and putting everything back into its proper place. He looked up, slightly annoyed at the interruption. "What will it be today, sir?" He asked dully.

The fish looked up at the board. "I'll have three Krabby Patties, with a Dr. Kelp, please!"

Squidward sighed and turned toward the kitchen area. "Spongebob, three Krabby Patties on the double!"

The customer walked away to find himself a tale, and Squidward's phone buzzed in his pocket, reminding him of its presence. He tried to ignore it for now, until it buzzed two more times.

He glanced at the clock above the front doors. It was just past ten o'clock, still seven hours left to go. Squidward groaned and put his head in his hands, whining pathetically.. "Why can't the day be over already?" He muttered to himself sadly. He knew his story would still be there waiting for him when he finished work, but that still didn't make the long wait any less painful.

He wished he could take his break now. Krabs only gave him and Spongebob five minutes to eat lunch, so he usually had to shove it down his throat while barely even having any time to chew his food properly, which he hated to do, but there was nothing that he could do about it at the moment.

Squidward felt a headache beginning to form. It was gonna be a long day.


	2. Chapter 2

Squidward continued working until Mr. Krabs told him to take his break.

He begged for at least ten more minutes than usual since it was such a slow day, and after several minutes worth of pestering and pleading, Krabs reluctantly agreed to allow Squidward 15 minutes to eat his lunch.

The octopus cheered in victory and grabbed his sack lunch from his locker, taking it into the main area to eat. He pulled out his iShell as he chewed his sandwich, eagerly continuing from where he left off this morning.

After the chapter he was on ended with a really intense cliffhanger, he checked his watch. Still ten minutes until his break was over. Squidward pulled out a bag of unpopped popcorn from his lunch sack, asking if he could use the employee microwave to cook it. A story this good deserved to be read while eating a snack.

The Krab agreed again, just as long as he shared it with Spongebob so the yellow sponge didn't feel left out.

"But, Mr. Krabs, that's MY popcorn!" Squidward objected desperately. "There is no way that I'm gonna let that little yellow freak get his dirty greasy hands all over my food!"

Krabs shrugged. "Then I don't know what else to tell you, mister Squidward! You either share your food or it's back to work with you!"

He glanced from his phone, where the next chapter sat waiting for him to read it, to Krabs a few times before he made up his mind. He groaned in annoyance. "Fine! Just make him get his own bowl so he doesn't get his germs in my delicious popcorn!"

He ran to the microwave, which sat in the kitchen near the freezer, and threw the popcorn in, cooking it for 5 minutes, but it was ready in 3. He took it out and rushed back to his seat, quickly opening his phone and continuing to read as he shoved the popcorn into his mouth.

"Oh, I hope Fergus gets to live in his dream house after all!" Squidward said excitedly while he swallowed what he had in his mouth and shoved in another handful.

Just as he was getting to the climax of the chapter, he felt Spongebob poke him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Squidward? Squidward?" More pokes. "HEY, SQUIDWARD!!"

Squidward ignored the shrill high-pitched voice screaming directly into his ear up until his phone was snatched out of his hands.

Then he lost it. "WHAT?? WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" He screamed at the yellow menace.

Spongebob pointed at the bag of popcorn. "Mr. Krabs said that you had to share, remember?"

Oh, right. He'd forgotten about that.

The cephalopod sighed and snatched back his phone. "Do you have a bowl to put it in?"

"Uh-huh!" Spongebob said cheerfully as he held up the requested item. "Just like you wanted."

"Great." He muttered while he threw a few handfuls into the bowl and checked to make sure Spongebob hadn't messed up his place in the story. Once Squidward was satisfied that everything was fine and he was still on his current chapter, he pulled up a barrel. "Now sit down and shut up. I'm very busy right now, and I don't want you distracting me!"

Spongebob saluted playfully. "Aye aye, Captain!" He said, giggling. He plopped onto the barrel and loudly munched on his popcorn, the sound of his chewing aggravating Squidward even more. He could not possibly read his story over all of this noise!

"Could you chew any LOUDER?!" He said through clenched teeth as he set his phone on the table to address his co-worker.

"Sure I can!" Spongebob replied, oblivious to Squidward's annoyance as always. He tried to reach for the bag of popcorn, but Squidward slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch that! It's mine!" He said, feeling a little more selfish than usual today.

"But Mr. Krabs said-"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT MR. KRABS SAID!!" Squidward shouted, his frustration reaching a boiling point. He turned away and continued reading his fanfiction, trying to ignore Spongebob's faint sniffling sounds that started a few seconds later.

Then all was quiet as the yellow sponge sadly walked back into the kitchen area to continue making Krabby Patties.

"Finally," muttered Squidward. "Now I can get some peace and quiet." He shoved more popcorn into his mouth and continued reading,

A minute later, Mr. Krabs burst out of his office. "Your break is over now, Squidward!" The crustacean bellowed. Time to get back to work!"

The blue cephalopod groaned in annoyance, but reluctantly did as he was ordered.

"Yes, Mr. Krabs." He said sadly while he got up from the table and closed his story with a sigh. He was just getting to the best part.

He walked back to the register and threw his empty popcorn bag into the trash, taking his place at his post just as another customer walked into the restaurant. Squidward looked up. "Hello, welcome to the Krusty Krab, may I take your order?"

While the customer ordered his food, Squidward secretly read his story while pretending to be busy. He looked up when the fish snapped his fingers.

"Hey, buddy! Taking a nap or something?" He started laughing at his own joke.

Squidward rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

The customer walked away. Squidward stuck his tongue out at him while the fish's back was turned.

He glanced at the clock again. Not nearly enough time had passed. Today was a super slow day, and all that he wanted was to just go back home and relax in front of his fireplace while drinking a cup of warm tea or hot chocolate. Squidward smiled to himself. Yes, that sounded like something he would like to do later.

All he had to do was make it through this shift.


	3. Chapter 3

When Squidward finally got off of work a few hours later, he quickly rushed home to prepare himself for what he had planned later in the evening.

He arrived at his tiki house in less than ten minutes, and unlocked his front door and rushed inside, slamming the door behind him.

He immediately headed to the shower to wash the strong stench of burgers and grease off of his body, making a mental note to watch the new episode of HOUSE FANCY that was airing in less than two hours.

He decided to relax and take a bath for around half an hour, and then go to the supermarket nearby for some snacks and popcorn to eat while watching the new episode tonight. He was so excited, he could hardly wait.

Squidward started the bath and made sure it was at a decent temperature while he peeled off his disgusting work clothes and tossed them aside for the moment.

Testing the water, he decided it was good enough and stepped into the bath, grabbing his special soap he used for relaxing, and squirting a handful of it into the tub, watching as it foamed and bubbled. Squidward stepped in and sighed contently as he lowered himself into the water.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax after a long and stressful day. This is just what I needed, he thought happily.

He hoped that they would show some amazing houses, like they did in last week's episode. This season was only getting better and better, and he had never been more proud to be a fan of such an amazing show.

Squidward opened his notes on his iShell and made a note to buy more chocolate Bon-Bon's as well. Those little things were absolutely heavenly.

While he was at it, he also made a list of everything he needed for the show later. He decided to go to the store later and get them after his bath was finished.

He sighed while he relaxed his aching muscles. The water was soothing on his body, and the smell of the lavender soap calmed his nerves.

A while later, Squidward stepped out of the tub, glancing at the clock and gasped as he realized that his show started in less than an hour. He'd been in the bath longer than he thought he would be, and now his plans were slightly behind schedule. He hurriedly threw on some clean clothes and rushing out his front door, getting into his boat and driving slightly above the speed limit to get to the store in time.

This was one of those times when he wished he had the ability to record shows on his television, but he hadn't gotten around to doing that yet. Everything was so overpriced these days, and Squidward thought it was too expensive of a feature to add to his bundle, anyway, and he was already shirt enough on money as it was. Blame that cheapskate Mr. Krabs for that, he thought angrily.

Finally arriving at the supermarket, he rushed inside and headed to the nearest aisle, searching for chocolate Bon-Bon's, which he found two aisles over from his starting pint. Getting a basket to put them in, Squidward sighed in relief. That was what he needed most. He grabbed two bags of the candy and crossed it off of the list.

Next on the list: Mint Chocolate Chip tea, his favorite flavor. He found those rather easily as well. He crossed that off, too.

He found everything else he needed in the next few minutes, grabbing two of each item, except for the tea, of course. He got six packs of those, enough to last him the rest of the week.

"Okay, almost done!" Squidward said happily to himself. He glanced at the final item on the list. "Now I just need the popcorn and the soda!"

He hummed s song happily to himself while he headed towards the aisle with his desired snacks, when a voice yelled out behind him: "HI SQUIDWARD!"

Squidward recognized that voice. He walked faster.

Too late. Spongebob appeared by his side, smiling up at the octopus happily.

He groaned. "Hello, Spongebob," he said sadly. "What are you doing here?'

"Well, I'm here to buy more food for Gary!"' Spongebob exclaimed happily, his smile never faltering. "He eats like a seahorse!"

The sponge's face lit up when he saw what his neighbor was purchasing. "Oooh, chocolate! And soda! Are you having a party, Squidward?"

"No, I am NOT having a party!" He snapped in annoyance. Then he thought a moment. "Well, actually, I guess you could call it that. But anyway, its only a party for one: me!"

Spongebob giggled. "Okay, Squidward! Have fun!" He walked away.

Squidward groaned, his good mood temporarily ruined. He took deep breaths. "Be happy, Squidward," he said to himself. "Tonight will be great!"

And with that, his good mood was restored. He continued onward with a smile on his face, expression relaxed and at ease. He walked to the register to pay for his things, he spotted the aisle where the hot chocolate was located.

He stopped. Well, I have been getting a craving for some hot cocoa as well, he thought. He shrugged and got some of that, too.

After he had left the store, Squidward got into his boatmobile and drove home, praying that nothing would ruin what would hopefully be a perfect evening.

Then he thought about Spongebob and Patrick, and all the times that they had messed up his plans for relaxation and peace. He grew angry just thinking about it. He told himself to just let it go for now while he prepared for his show.

He glanced at his watch again. Less than five minutes until it started. He turned on the television and switched it to the correct channel, getting it ready.

He looked around, making sure he had everything that he needed. Food? Check. Drinks? Check. He decided that he also needed something to keep him warm, so he went into his room and brought down a blanket to wrap around himself.

Squidward started his fireplace for extra warmth and quickly made himself a cup of hot chocolate while he waited for the episode to begin. Two minutes left. He had made it.

Once everything was ready, he turned off all the lights and sat down in front of the television with a content sigh, and settled in, the glow of the set the only light in the house.

Just as the episode started however, Squidward heard a quiet giggle from the next room.


End file.
